Methods and apparatuses for filtering water

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for filtering or purifying water.

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. appl'n Ser. No.10/939,335, filed Sep. 14, 2004, which is a Continuation of U.S. appl'nSer. No. 10/636,808, filed Aug. 8, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,910,which claims priority to U.S. appl'n Ser. No. 60/411,382, filed Sep. 18,2002; 60/408,281, filed Sep. 6, 2002; 60/406,059, filed Aug. 27, 2002;60/404,403, filed Aug. 20, 2002; and 60/402,526, filed Aug. 12, 2002,the complete disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.This application also claims priority to U.S. patent appl'n Ser. Nos.60/632,076, filed Dec. 1, 2004; 60/618,605, filed Oct. 15, 2004;60/598,443, filed Aug. 4, 2004; 60/542,872, filed Feb. 10, 2004; and60/538,240, filed Jan. 23, 2004, the complete disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to methods and apparatuses for filtering and/orpurifying water, for example, from wash solutions used in spray washing,steam cleaning or car washes, as well as water run off from otherapplications, and well, river, lake and ocean water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There have been many attempts to filter water. One such conventionalrecycling apparatus is sold commercially under the Cyclonator™ name. Adescription can be found on the internet at www.cyclonator.com. Thissystem uses numerous hoses to and from a specially designed washingplatform, an additional separate filtering tank to remove larger debrisand oils, a special holding tank, and two vacuum canister type filtersthat require expensive filters. This recycling apparatus provides novisual monitoring ability except for vacuum gauges, has no pH monitoringnor automatic adjustment capability, and the location of the unit has tobe in close proximity to the wash platform and the power washer.Furthermore, the filtering apparatus is difficult to maintain, requiresa large area of space and numerous extra equipment at additional cost.Moreover, the vacuum or pressure used to force the wash solution througha filter can undesirably force dirt through filters.

There are many other systems that use pressure or vacuum, includingthose from Cyclonator standard filtration weir, www.cyclonator.com;Powder-X Pretreatment Station, Powder-X Coating Systems, Inc.,www.powder-x-.com; Rapid Pretreatment Station, www.rapidengineering.com;PKG Equipment, Inc., www.pkgeguipment.com; Water Treatment TechEquipment, MFG.; Pressure Island; Arkal Filtration; ADF-LiquidFiltration; Kemco Systems; and Tiger Enterprises, 39126 Alston Ave.,Zephyrhills, Fl 33542.

Two open water filtration systems, CFS3 and CMAFU-2 are commerciallysold by HydroEngineering, disclosed at www.hydroblaster.com. However, inthese systems the filtered water is not continuously filtered throughthe filter media and there is only one filter media. While there areother filtering systems disclosed on the website which refer tocirculation of water for multiple passes through polishing media (seedescription of Model ACF3) this appears to be a closed system sincehydrobiodigesters must be utilized.

Furthermore, conventional water purification systems for producingpotable water from non-potable water are complicated, difficult to useand require extensive maintenance. An example of such a system utilizesreverse osmosis.

There is a need for an improved water filtering apparatus that does notrequire a vacuum or pressure pumps, provides easy visual inspection ofthe filters during operation, is easy to maintain and operate, and canbe scaled to any size operation. There is also need for a simplifiedwater purification system for producing potable water from non-potablewater.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a side view of the water filtering apparatus;

FIG. 1B illustrates a view of a filter assembly;

FIG. 2A illustrates a view of a horse water filtering apparatus;

FIG. 2B illustrates a view of a horse water filtering apparatus;

FIG. 3A illustrates a view of a potable water filtration system;

FIG. 3B illustrates a view of a magnetic filter mount;

FIG. 3C illustrates a view of an activated material impregnated flatroll Filter material;

FIG. 4A illustrates a view of a water filtering apparatus and spraywasher;

FIG. 4B illustrates a partial cut-away side view of a water filteringapparatus;

FIGS. 4C through 4E illustrate views of a filter assembly;

FIG. 4F illustrates a clamp for mounting a filter material in a filterassembly; and

FIG. 4G illustrates a basin for collecting filtered solution.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described with reference to preferredembodiments as shown in the Figures. The claimed invention is notlimited to these preferred embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the water filtering apparatus 1 comprises a maintank 2. The main tank 2 can be sized as desired for the particularapplication. An example of a suitable size tank 2 is 4 feet high by 4feet wide by 8 feet long.

The main tank 2 is constructed of 14 gauge mild steel, but can beconstructed of any desired material that is suitable to hold thefiltered solution. Examples of suitable materials include, but are notlimited to, metals, alloys, rubbers, plastics, glass, coated wood, orfiberglass. Preferably, if metal parts are utilized in the recyclingapparatus 1, the metal parts are powder coated to prevent rust.

The main tank 2 contains a holding tank 3 defined by baffle 4. Thebaffle 4 can be formed from the same material as the holding tank, orany material suitable to hold the filtered solution. If desired,separate tanks can be used instead of splitting one large tank intosmaller tanks with the use of baffles.

The main tank 2 contains three cascading filter assemblies 20, 30 and40. The filter assemblies 20, 30 and 40 are sized to removably fitwithin the main tank 2, as shown in FIG. 1. More or less filterassemblies can be utilized as desired for the particular application.

Each filter assembly has an associated filter material 24, 34 and 44.The filter material can be selected for the particular application.Preferably, the filter material is a small size in the direction of thewater flow to enhance the life time of the smaller filter size material.For example, filter paper 24 can be 15 micron size, filter paper 34 can1 micron size, and filter paper 44 can be 0.5 micron size.

Filter assemblies 20 and 30 are constructed such that filter assembly 20can be rotated up about axis 22 to expose filter assembly 30, and filterassembly 30 can rotated up about axis 32 to expose the filter assembly40. The filter assemblies 20 and 30 rest on respective holders 26 and36. In this manner, the filter material can easily be changed for eachfilter assembly 20, 30 and 40 without completely removing the filterassembly (although they can be removed easily if needed) from the maintank 2. Filter assembly 40 rests on holders 46. Respective handles 38and 40 facilitate removal of the filter assemblies 30 and 40 from themain tank 2, when desired.

The filter assemblies 20, 30 and 40 are constructed such that water tobe filtered is introduced to filter assembly 20. After the water passesthrough the filter material 24 it falls into filter assembly 30. Afterthe water passes through the filter material 34 it falls into filterassembly 40. After the water passes through filter material 44 it fallsinto holding tank 3.

The filter assemblies and apparatus can also utilize any and allapparatus disclosed in my copending U.S. Ser. No. 10/636,808, filed Aug.7, 2003, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the filter assembly 20 comprises ½ to ¾ inchexpanded steel mesh 23 having a V-shape, but can be any shape to allowmaximum ability in any given circumstance. In this example, the ends ofthe filter assembly 20 are sealed using plates 25 designed to conform towhatever style filter holder is needed. The filter material 24 is heldin place using the magnetic filter holder 600 as described below. Inthis example a 5 foot wide filter paper is uses, so the expanded steelmesh 23 is sized such that it is about 5 feet in length, shown from A toB in FIG. 1B.

The filter assembly 40 is constructed and arranged such that duringoperation, the filtered solution drops about 1 inch to 30 inches, morepreferably from about 2 inches to about 24 inches, more preferably fromabout 3 inches to about 12 inches, and most preferably about 6 to about8 inches, before contacting the surface of the filtered water in theholding tank 3 to provide suitable aeration to prevent or inhibit moldformation and to allow volatiles to escape.

Preferably, the filter assemblies are offset so that water dripping fromthe bottom of a higher filter assembly contacts a side surface of alower filter assembly. Even more preferably, the filter assemblies 20,30 and 40 are v-shaped and constructed such that water to be filtered isdelivered to at least one side of filter assembly 20, filtered waterdripping from the bottom of the v in filter assembly 20 contacts a sideof filter assembly 30 and filtered water dripping from the bottom of thev in filter assembly 30 contacts a side of filter assembly 40. In thismanner, the water path though the filter material is significantlylonger than merely the thickness of the filter material. The filterassemblies can be formed in many different ways to conform to the needsof the situation.

If desired, the filtered water in holding tank 3 can flow therefrom intoanother filter assembly 50. The filter assembly 50 is constructed to beremovable from the main tank 2. To facilitate ease of removal, thefilter assembly 50 contains an arm 51. The filter assembly 50 as anassociated filter material 54. After the water flows through the filtermaterial 54, it leaves the main tank 2 through exit 60. However,filtered water can be taken directly from the holding tank 3 for use.

A power washer can be connected to the filtering apparatus 1 in a mannersimilar as disclosed herein below or my earlier U.S. appl'n Ser. No.10/939,335, filed Sep. 14, 2004, such that used wash solution can becollected and filtered, and filtered wash solution can be supplied fromthe holding tank 3 to the power washer for reuse.

The water level in the holding tank 3 can be monitored using a waterlever monitor 5, which can be any conventional water level monitor, suchas commonly used in toilets or the well-known water levelers used in thecommercially available Swamp Cooler™.

In an alternative embodiment, a closed door system (CDS) can be utilizedin which the main tank 2 is used as the holding tank for the wash waterthat will be going to the power washer. In this embodiment, a typicaltank is 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 10 feet long. It will then have aholding tank capacity of at least 266 gallons. 4 feet of the length cango under the incoming filters and 6 feet can become a prewash holdingtank by using a baffle. The baffle can be sized to provide any depth ofwater, for example 18 inches from bottom of tank up. In this embodiment,no water is discharged to the sewer. The wash water can contain washchemicals as desired.

The size and structure of the filter assembly can be varied as desired.Preferably, the size of the filter should be such that at least a 5gallon per minute flow rate is provided under ambient pressure andgravity.

The preferred filter material is a rolled filter sheet material that iseasily obtained from commercial manufacturers or from a filter supplycompany. The spool is usually about three feet to about five feet wideand about one hundred or more feet long. Preferably, the filter sheetmaterial is at least 20 inches wide, more preferably at least 30 incheswide, and most preferably at least 60 inches wide. The filter sheetmaterial is easily cut to any desired length or width to fit the filterassembly. Examples of preferred commercially available filter sheetmaterials include, but are not limited to, the BR-60 and BR-80 seriesfrom Mountain States Filter, Colorado. The filter sheet material easilytakes any desired shape in the filtering apparatus. While inexpensiveflat sheets of filter cloth, synthetic or natural, are preferredfilters, any suitable filter material can be used as desired for theparticular application. The filters usually last about 1 week induration before changing is required, but should be monitored daily.Usually, the filter material is formed from plastics. However, incertain applications, the filter material preferably comprises celluloseor wood products for environmental friendly disposal, such asincineration or shredding.

The filter can be selected by the end user to provide the desired levelof filtering based on the particular application. It has been found thatfilters having a size of less than 10 microns are preferred. A preferredarrangement is the use of a filter having a size of about 3 to 8 micronsin the filter assembly 30, and about 1 micron or less in each of thefilter assemblies 32 and 34. However, the size of the filter can bevaried as desired for the particular application.

Prior to introducing the water into filter 20, oil can be mechanicallyor manually removed from the water using well know techniques, such asan oil skimmer.

The main tank 2 also preferably contains recycling apparatus, such aspump 8, which continually recycles filtered water from holding tank 3 toat least one of the filter assemblies 20, 30 or 40. It is believed thatthis continuous recycling is responsible for unexpectedly removingunwanted contaminates, such as those shown in the Examples, which thefilter material is not know for being capable of removing. It is alsobelieved that the filter performance increases over time due to sedimentbuilding in the filter material. Furthermore, it is also believed thatsalts present in solution may crystallize out of solution on the filtersduring the continuous recycling. It is also believed that the aerationreduces unwanted buildup of undesired organic volatiles and evenfacilitates removal of unwanted organic compounds and salts from thewater. Using the present invention, it has surprisingly been found thatnumerous unwanted salts, inorganic compounds and organic compounds aresurprisingly removed using filter materials that are known not becapable of removing these compounds.

A small electrical charge or magnets can be applied to the system toenhance the capabilities of the filter media. For example, an electricjolt to the solution to be treated can change the properties of thecontaminants and make the filter media more effective. Furthermore, a UVlight source can be used to provided UV light to the filtered water inthe holding tank or to the filtered water anywhere as desired in thefiltering apparatus.

The state of Colorado is currently in an extreme drought condition andthe land that many businesses are located on does not accommodateleaching a large amount of water discharge through the sewage leachfield. Public sewage may also not be within reach. With my new waterfiltering apparatus, the wastewater and the drought are no longer anissue.

This embodiment is useful for purifying water to meet EPA guidelines fordisposal. It has been extensively tested at Colorado Department ofTransportation sites to purify water running off from trucks, whichcontains salts, metals, inorganic compounds and organic compounds thatthe EPA prohibits from disposing in sewers. The filtering apparatusremoved all of the materials the EPA required and the filtered watercomplied with EPA guidelines for disposal in sewers. The filteringapparatus can also be used for recycling wash solutions, such as spraywashing, car washes, steam washers and laundry machines. Further, thefiltering apparatus is applicable whenever purifying to comply withenvironmental guidelines, or recycling of water and/or chemicals presentin the water is desired.

Horse Water

Horses are sensitive to elevated levels of iron in water. It has beenfound that the method and apparatus described herein can be used toreduce iron levels, as well as undesirable heavy metals, in water tomake it safer for horses. Any of the cascading filter systems describedherein can be used. If desired, a self generating horse water filteringapparatus 400 as shown in FIGS. 2A–2B can also be used.

The horse water filtering apparatus includes main tank 401. A holdingtank 404 is defined by the main tank 401 and baffles 401 and 402.

A rotating filter assembly 410 includes filter material 412. The filtermaterial 412 is sized to remove iron from the water. Preferably, thefilter material 412 is about 0.2 micron or less.

The filter material 412 rotates about shafts 414 and 416. Water to befiltered is introduced by water input 418. The water flows through thefilter material 412 and drops onto collecting sheet 420. The filteredwater drops off of the collecting sheet 420 and into holding tank 404.

Sediments removed by the filter material 412 drop off of and into asediment trap 428. Optionally, to facilitate sediment removal, air canbe blown through the filter material 412 from air supply 430. Thesediment trap 428 can be a light-weight trap that is removable from themain tank 401 for easy cleaning.

The filter material 412 is rotated during operation. Water leaving theholding tank 404 can be used to drive a paddle wheel 440 or other devicefor powering the rotation of the filter material 412, such as solar,wind, electrical, gas or other power means. If a paddle wheel 440 isused, the paddle wheel 440 can be connected to the shaft 416 usingpulleys 441 and 442 to drive the filter material 412.

The paddle wheel 440 can also be used to drive a bellows to power theair supply 430 to clean the filter material 412.

The filtered water can exit the main tank 401 through exit 450 and flowto a water trough to be consumed by horses.

Preferably, a biodegradable filter material 412 is used, such as woodfiber.

Water Clean Up Post Forest Fire.

When forest fires burn a large area of vegetation, it has been foundthat the vegetation releases a significant quantity of undesirablecontaminates, such as lead, mercury, and other heavy metals. Since thefiltering systems described herein are capable of removing suchcontaminates from water on a large scale economically, the runoff waterfrom streams and creeks leaving the forest fire area can easily bepurified using the present invention.

Potable Water

The potable water system will be described with reference to FIGS. 3Aand 3B.

Incoming water to be treated flows through a conduit 512 and into apre-sediment tank 510 where anti-algae fighting additives can beintroduced to the contained water 518. The pre-sediment tank 510 cancomprise baffles 514 and 516 to facilitate removal of sediments from thewater 518. If desired, other designs for removing sediments from theincoming water can be utilized.

The water is then pumped into a primary filtration tank 520 using pump521 and filtered using the degree of filters as deemed necessary. Acascading filter system having four filters is shown in FIG. 3A. Thefirst filter 522 is a 1 micron filter, the second filter 524 is a 0.5micron filter and the third filter 526 is a 0.2 micron filter. Anydesired filter size, such as from about 0.01 micron to about 10 micronfilters, can be used as desired for the particular application. Thewater should flow through a 0.2 micron or less filter. The precedingfilters having a larger size are used to prefilter the water to extendthe life of the 0.2 micron or less filter. The water then can flowthrough a fourth filter 528 if desired.

The water is then drained or pumped using pump 540 into a secondaryfiltration tank 550 containing a series of filters 552, 554 and 556. Thewater can be continuously recycled between the primary filtration tank520 and secondary filtration tank 550 using pump 560. Additives can beadded as desired.

The water is then exposed to UV light by pumping it using pump 570 to aglass walled cylinder 572 around an ultra-violet light assembly 574.

After being exposed to UV light, the water is pumped using pump 580 to afinal holding tank 590 and through a final stage of filters 592, 594 and596. These filters preferably comprise a flat roll filter material 700infiltrated with activated charcoal, as shown in FIG. 3C. A charcoalimpregnated flat filter 701 encased on two sides by outer filtermaterials 702 and 704. Filter materials 702 and 704 are sealed along thelength of the filter material 700 at 706 and 708 using any desiredsealing method, such as sonic welding, heat sealing or gluing.Preferably, the outer filter materials 702 and 704 are a smaller sizethan the inner activated charcoal impregnated filter material 701. Forexample, the filter materials 702 and 704 can be in the range of about 5micron and less in size, preferably about 1 micron or less, morepreferably about 0.5 to about 0.01 micron in size, and the filtermaterial 701 can be about 1 to about 10 microns, preferably about 1 toabout 5 microns in size.

In another embodiment, the outer filter 704 is a smaller size than theouter filter 702 and the filter assembly is used such that the flow ofwater is through the larger size outer filter 702 before the smallersize outer filter 704. For example, in this embodiment the outer filter702 has a size of 5 microns or less and the outer filter 704 has a sizeof 0.5 to 0.1 micron in size.

Final additives can be introduced in the final holding tank 590. Cleanpotable water can be removed through outlet 598.

Pumps may be deleted as desired by using a cascading assembly.

Some, or all, of the filters can be of an automated roller system withsensors that can automatically advance the filter paper as needed.

One or more of the tanks can be deleted depending on the particularapplication.

The filters and filter assemblies can be as described in my co-pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/636,808, filed Aug. 7, 2003, thecomplete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The first and second filter assemblies can be hinged for easy change outof the filter material without having to remove the whole filter tray,as described above.

The filter material can be held in place using the structure shown in myco-pending application or by a magnetic filer holder comprising barmagnets as shown in FIG. 3B. The magnetic filter holder 600 is a channelstyle with two to three small magnets 602 set inside a channel 604. Themagnets 602 are not held in by glue, but by powder coating the channel604 with an epoxy powder, inserting the magnets 602 inside the channel604 and then baking the unit to melt cure the epoxy powder and bind themagnets 602 to the channel 604. This is a much more cost effective waythan the very expensive glues that are currently being used.

It is my belief that we will also be able to remove salt from sea waterby adding magnesium chloride or another substance that will bond to, orreact, to sea water and then filtering the sea water through ourrecycling system described herein. It is believed that the magnesiumchloride bonds to the sea salt making the molecular structure largeenough to be filtered out by using our 0.2 micron or the 0.05 micronfilter material. It may be possible to shred the material and reuse thecombined amalgam to salt roads, or the amalgam may be removed and thefilter material reused.

Without being bound by any theory, it is also believed that whenchlorides pass through the plastic filter material the chlorides becomecharged and are removed by the filter.

Filter Material

The filters preferably comprise a flat roll filter material 700infiltrated or impregnated with an active material, as shown in FIG. 3C.An active material impregnated flat filter 701 encased on two sides byouter filter materials 702 and 704. Filter materials 702 and 704 aresealed along the length of the filter material 700 at 706 and 708 usingany desired sealing method, such as sonic welding, heat sealing orgluing. Preferably, the outer filter materials 702 and 704 are a smallersize than the inner activated charcoal impregnated filter material 701.

For example, the filter materials 702 and 704 can be in the range ofabout 5 micron and less in size, preferably about 1 micron or less, morepreferably about 0.5 to about 0.01 micron in size, and the filtermaterial 701 can be about 1 to about 10 microns, preferably about 1 toabout 5 microns in size. In another embodiment, the outer filter 704 isa smaller size than the outer filter 702 and the filter assembly is usedsuch that the flow of water is through the larger size outer filter 702before the smaller size outer filter 704. For example, in thisembodiment the outer filter 702 has a size of 5 microns or less and theouter filter 704 has a size of 0.5 to 0.1 micron in size.

Examples of suitable active materials include a material that binds orotherwise removes an undesired material from the water filteredtherethrough. Examples of suitable active materials include activatedcharcoal, lignite, positive charged polymers, laterite, silver, andactivated aluminum. Other examples other examples of active materialsinclude antibacterial and antifungal agents. The activate material canbe present in an effective amount for removing the undesired materialfrom water filtered therethrough. Examples of suitable amounts is fromabout 1% to about 90%, preferably from about 10% to about 50%, and mostpreferably about 30%, by weight.

Power Washer Recycling

As shown in FIGS. 4A–4G, the recycling apparatus 200 comprises a maintank 202 that is about four and a half feet wide, about four feet deep,and about four feet high. The exemplary main tank 202 is sized tooperate with one standard spray washer operating at a maximum of about 5gallons per minute. The main tank 202 can be sized for any desired flowrate and number of spray washers.

The main tank 202 is constructed of 14 gauge mild steel, but can beconstructed of any desired material that is suitable to hold thefiltered solution. Examples of suitable materials include, but are notlimited to, metals, alloys, rubbers, plastics, glass, coated wood, orfiberglass. Preferably, if metal parts are utilized in the recyclingapparatus 1, the metal parts are powder coated to prevent rust. The maintank 202 has about a 1.25 inch lip around the top formed by rolling thesheet metal back on itself to provide improved strength and safety.

Wash solutions are well-known and any conventional wash solution or evenwater run-off from vehicles can be used in the present recyclingapparatus. While this embodiment is described with reference to the term“wash solution,” this embodiment may be used to filter any type of waterto form potable water and/or to clean up water for discharging to theenvironment, such as salt water, mine water runoff, wash water, andresidential and industrial waste water. The wash solution may containone or more phosphates as desied. The wash solution may be acidic orbasic as desired. The wash solution is preferably free-of chemicals thatcannot be recycled, such as butyl cellusolve (a glycol ether), which canvaporize or break down at 175° F. and cause undesirable vapors duringspray washing. Preferably, the wash solution is free-of heavy metalssuch as molybdate, that are environmentally unfriendly. A suitablecommercially available phosphate that can be combined with water to formthe wash solution is sold under the name DuBoise Diversy/Lever, securesteam ultra. In some embodiments, the wash solution will be recoveredfiltered water from spraying trucks with fresh water and/or run off fromtrucks, as shown in the Examples below.

Connected to the main tank 202 is a filtering tank 208. The filteringtank 208 is about seven feet long, about 4 feet deep and about 3 feethigh. The filtering tank is split into two separate tanks for holdingthe filtered wash solution, second tank 210 and primary tank 212 bybaffle 211. The baffle 211 is about 6 inches high. The baffle can beformed from the same material as the holding tank, or any materialsuitable to hold the filtered solution. If desired, separate tanks canbe used instead of splitting one large tank into smaller tanks with theuse of baffles.

The filtering tank 208 contains associated pairs of slide rails 213,214, 215 and 216 on two opposite inside surfaces for holding filterassemblies 220, 221, 222, 223, and 224. The filter assemblies each haveassociated mounts 225 formed from angle iron pieces welded to the filterassembly for movably holding the filter assembly on a pair of sliderails. Each filter assembly can be slid on a pair of slide rails forease of replacing the filters, removing the filter assemblies, and/orfor aligning the filter assemblies. FIG. 4B shows the filter assembliesin a preferred location, such filter assembly 220 drops filteredsolution into one side of the filter assembly 221, and each successivefilter assembly drops the filtered wash solution into a side of the nextlower filter assembly.

The filter assemblies and slide rails are constructed and arranged suchthat during operation, the filtered wash solution drops about 1 inch to30 inches, more preferably from about 2 inches to about 24 inches, morepreferably from about 3 inches to about 12 inches, and most preferablyabout 6 to about 8 inches, before contacting the surface of the washsolution in the next filter below or tank to provide aeration.

The bottom of the filter assembly 221 is angled toward the center asshown in FIGS. 4C and 4D and formed of expanded mesh or perforations toallow the wash solution to pass through. In this manner, the flat filtermaterial 228 lays down and substantially conforms to the shape of thefilter assembly 221. Small creases may form in the filter material 227.The filter material is held in place on the edges from A to B using rods228 and clamps 229. Any number of clamps 229 can be used to hold the rod228 in place and apply pressure against the filter material 228 andfilter assembly 221. Instead of rods, any shaped material can be used.If desired, the filter material 228 can be held in place using any ofthe means described herein, such as the magnetic filter holders. Theother filter assemblies have structure similar to that described forfilter assembly 221. If desired, any of the filter assemblies describedherein or in my co-pending application U.S. Ser. No. 10/636,808, filedAug. 8, 2003, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference, can be utilized.

The preferred filter assembly shown uses a flat rolled filter material228, which can be purchased in spools three feet wide and 150 feet longand easily cut to the proper length. Examples of preferred commerciallyavailable filter materials include, but are not limited to, the BR-60and BR-80 series from Mountain States Filter, Colorado. Preferably, theflat filter material comprises plastic. While inexpensive flat sheets offilter cloth are preferred filters, any suitable filter material can beused as desired for the particular application. Any of the filtermaterials described herein can be utilized.

Used wash solution is collected and dirt separated therefrom in a pit287 using the basin 289. The screened used wash solution is then pumpedto an optional presediment tank 230 of the recycling apparatus using thepump 290 and line 291. The basin 289 is constructed to raise the pump290 off of the bottom of the pit to reduce the amount of sedimenttransferred by the pump 290. The presediment tank 230 can be hung fromthe side of the as desired for the particular use. After sediments areremoved from the wash solution in the presediment tank 230, the washsolution is dropped into the filter assemblies. The filtered washsolution leaving the filter assemblies drops into the primary tank 212.

Filtered wash solution in primary tank 212 flows over the baffle 211 andinto the second tank 210. Filtered water from the second tank 210 istransferred to the main tank 202 using the pump 240 and line 242. Anoptional filter 244 can be provided on the line 242 to further filterthe filtered water before entering the main tank 202.

Filtered wash solution from the main tank 202 is recycled to the filterassemblies using pump 250, line 252 and spreader 254. In this manner,wash solution is constantly recycled through the filter assemblies.

Filtered wash solution from the main tank 202 can be supplied to thepower washer 280 using outlet 260 and line 281. Preferably, the outlet260 removes filtered wash solution at least one foot from the bottom ofmain tank 202, and more preferably at least 1.5 feet from the bottom ofthe main tank. It is believed that undesirable residual chlorides residein greater quantity at the bottom of the main tank 202 if present in thefiltered wash solution.

The recycling apparatus 200 preferably contains a water level monitor288 in the main tank 202 to alert the user of low wash solutionconditions. If desired, the water level monitor 200 can be connected toa water supply to automatically add water to the recycled wash solutiontank 200 through inlet 202 as needed. The water level monitor 200 can beany conventional water level monitor, such as commonly used in toiletsor the well-known water levelers used in the commercially availableSwamp Cooler™. The main tank 202 preferably contains one or moreoverflow outlets 26 that drain into the second tank 210 to preventoverfilling of the main tank 202.

During operation, the recycling apparatus 200 is connected to a powerwasher 280 using hose 281. The power washers 280 heats the wash solutionto any desired pressure and temperature, for example, about 180 to about220° F. and about 1500 to about 3000 psi. The object to be washed issprayed with the heated pressurized wash solution using the wand 286.The used wash solution is collected and the dirt separated therefrom ina pit 287 using the basin 289. The screened used wash solution is thenpumped to the optional presediment tank 230 of the recycling apparatususing the pump 290 and line 291 to form a continuous loop through therecycling apparatus 200.

Conventional spray washers 280 have two inputs, a fresh water input 282and chemical input 284. When the present recycling apparatus is utilizedin a manner to supply a recycled wash solution containing chemicals, itcan be supplied to the spray washer 280 through the fresh water input282. The chemical input 284 and any associated metering unit can beremoved since they are no longer needed, which usually results in adesired increase of pressure at the spray wand 286. By using the presentrecycling apparatus, a less complicated spray washer 282 can be utilizedthat does not have a chemical input 284 and metering unit since thechemicals can be added to the recycling apparatus. The coil for heatingfresh water in the spray washer 282 usually comprises black pipe andbrass fittings, which can be corroded by the chemicals when present inthe wash solution. Thus, preferably, if present, the black pipe andbrass fittings are replaced with stainless steel or another materialthat does not corrode in the presence of the chemicals.

Preferably, no high-voltage electricity is utilized in the waterrecycling or purifying apparatuses described herein to provide enhancedsafety. In this regard, the pumps are all preferably pressurized airoperated pumps. Commercial examples of suitable air operated pumpsinclude those sold under the Ingersoll-Rand ARO line, such as the Model6660. The air operated pumps are preferably mounted inside the tanks sothat if there are any leaks in the pump they will be contained. However,if desired, the pumps can be mounted external to the tanks.

The recycling apparatus and method described herein is environmentallyfriendly. Bacterial and fungus buildup in the recycling apparatus issubstantially avoided without the use of environmentally unfriendlychemicals by a combination of continuous aeration and filtering. Thephosphate, which is usually of the same type as used in laundry and dishwashers as a cleaning and disinfecting agent, will help kill thebacteria. Furthermore, the high temperature achieved in the power washerwill kill even more bacteria.

Heat Recovery

Many powder coating operations utilize an oven 300 for baking the powdercoating thereon. Once the baking procedure is complete, the substantialamount of heat for heating the oven 300 is simply allowed to dissipateinto the atmosphere. Applicant applies heat exchangers 302 and 304 tothe oven to thereby transfer wasted heat from the oven 300 to therecycled wash solution 202 using lines 312, pump 310, outlet 308 andinlet 306. Optionally, the heated recycled wash solution leaving theheat exchangers 302 and 304 can be supplied directly to the line 281 andpower washer 280 using line 314. The heat exchangers 302 and 304 can beturned off and on selectively using valve 303 so that the heatexchangers 302 and 304 are only on when the baking procedure iscomplete. Alternatively the heat exchanger 302 can be located above theoven 300 and turned on continuously, such that heat escaping from theoven 300 heats the heat exchanger 302 during and after the backingprocedure. In this manner, the substantial cost of heating the powerwashing solution will be greatly reduced.

Street Cleaners

Street, sidewalk and floor cleaners containing a sprayer and vacuumsystem for sucking up sprayed cleaning solution have the problem of howto discard the waste. The filtration systems described herein can beused to treat the vacuumed wastewater so that it can be reused forcleaning surfaces.

Portable Spray System

The spray wash systems described herein can be made portable. Theportable spray wash system includes a filtration system as describedherein in communication with a power spray washer and generator to powerthe power spray washer and filtration system. The portable system alsoincludes a vacuum system or portable drain system and pump to return theused wash solution to the filtration system. The whole system can bemounted on a portable transport.

Dairies

Dairies use large amounts of water in processing cheese. For example,vats, bottles and other equipment must be washed and rinsed and thecheese is formed in water. The waste water from this use can be filteredthrough any of our filtering systems described herein or our parentapplications, and then used to clean sinks, tables, floors, etc.

The filtering system can be modified and sized as desired for theparticular application. If bacteria is a problem, silver nitrate orother antibacterial agents, or a UV light source, can be utilized.

In the cheese industry, the loss of whey is great. Our filtering systemcan be used to separate the whey from the process water for reuse.

Wineries

Wineries use large amounts of water in processing wine. For example,vats, bottles and other equipment must be washed and rinsed prior touse. Furthermore, the manufactures of the bottles, such as Ball Jar,need to flush the bottles prior to usage. The waste water from theseuses can be filtered through any of our filtering systems describedherein or our parent applications, and then used to clean sinks, tables,floors, etc.

The filtering system can be modified and sized as desired for theparticular application. If bacteria is a problem, silver nitrate orother antibacterial agents, or a UV light source, can be utilized.

PVC and Plastics Extrusion

Plastics and pvc extrusion plants must cool their extruded product as itis forced out of the forming dies. The discharge water usually has abacterial problem since the cooling water is typically in a closedsystem. By using one of our filter systems, with its aeration throughthe filters, in this case three to four separate filter levels, thewater is oxygenated. Oxygenated water retards the growth of bacteria.The filter media is selected to remove contaminates from the water.Pumps may not be needed if the filtering system is higher than theholding vat for the water. A once pass through system is normally allthat is required since the holding tank usually has its own associatedpumping system to transfer treated water to the forming dies.

A water filtration system was tested at an extrusion plant and theresults are shown in the attached table entitled “Chemical Usage PostTASROP Installation.” As shown in that table, the plant had an annualchemical cost of $16,034 to treat the process water. During the past 8months time, the process water quality was fair at best. On Sep. 7,2004, a trial filtration system was installed. There was a visiblemarked improvement in the water quality. The expected annual costsavings is $8,500.

Gypsum

Natural gypsum and its man-made replacement can be added to water toform a slurry for flow purposes. After forming the desired shape, thewater must then be removed. This discharged water normally picks upcontaminates that prevent it from being recycled causing a loss of thewater and any good gypsum from being reused. Depending on the size ofthe location, one or more filtering systems, having optimized pumps,filter media, filter numbers, flow meters, back flush devices andautomated filter advancing capabilities, will allow the water and theseparated product to be recycled.

Uranium Recovery

It is now known that certain bacteria have the ability to consumematerial containing uranium, such as waste uranium, and retain theuranium in their bodies. Thus, the bacteria can be spread over a wastesite containing uranium and the bacteria will concentrate the uranium intheir bodies. The bacteria containing uranium can be separated fromtheir surroundings by filtration using the filter systems describedherein. The bacteria and filter media containing them can then becombusted to provide concentrated uranium waste. In this manner, uraniumcan be recovered or separated easily and economically from a waste siteor any desired site, including creeks and rivers.

EXAMPLES

In the Examples, the filter media was in a sheet form ranging from 1foot wide×1 foot long to 6 feet wide×10 feet long. A sock style filteris currently being tested by the Colorado Department of Transportation(CDOT) that slides up over the lip on the pre-sediment tank and is tiedto the spreader tube attached to the pre-sediment tank. This sock stylefilter is much easier to replace than the tray filter. The sock stylefilter can be formed by overlapping the filter sheet and sealing theends.

The filtration size of the media used ranged from about 0.01 micron (1micron=0.000039 inches) to about 10 microns. Particular filtrationssizes used were 0.2 microns, 0.2 micron, 0.5 micron, 1 micron, 3 micron,5 micron, and up in increments as needed. This varied in capability byas much as 25%. The micron capability is primarily determined by theweight of the cloth used and can be varied as needed.

The manner in which the different filter media's were used depended onwhat the challenge was. Different media were used at different stages toaccomplish a wide range of effects. Different filter media types werealso used together to provide desired effects.

We used from 1 to 5 filter assemblies in each filtration apparatus. Thefilter assemblies were layered as needed with the filter sheet media.Usually the filter sheet media was selected so that the filterassemblies above act to catch heavier or larger contaminants and thefilter assemblies below catch anything that might leach out of the abovefilter assemblies.

A water purification apparatus as shown in FIG. 1A was installed at theFrisco CDOT site. The water run-off from the CDOT trucks and equipmentcontains inorganic and organic contaminates that cannot be discardedusing public waster water treatment. This waste water is currentlytrucked off site and stored in a storage facility. Once the storagefacility reaches capacity, it costs the state of Colorado about $70,000to have the waste water treated at a hazardous waste treatment site. TheFrisco filtration system did not include the use of the 0.2 micronfilter sheet material since it was not available.

Water samples were collected and tested before (Pre-Test) and afterfiltration (TS-1, TS-2, and TS-3) by CDOT personnel. The test resultsare disclosed in Table 1 below. Water samples were also collected andtested before and after filtration by an independent test lab,Analytica. Analytica prepared three extensive test reports dated Dec.29, 2003, Jan. 12, 2004 and Feb. 13, 2004, that are disclosed in U.S.appl'n ser. No. 60/598,443, filed Aug. 4, 2004, which is part of thepresent application.

TABLE 1 TS-1 TS-2 TS-3 ANALYTE MCL Pre-Test Dec. 29, 2004 Jan. 12, 2004Jan. 29, 2004 Volatile Organic Contaminents 1,1,1,2- 5 <1.2 ND ND NDTetrachloroethane 1,1,1-Trichloroethne 200 <1.2 ND ND ND 1,1,2,2- 5 <1.1ND ND ND Tetrachloroethane 1,1,2-Trichloroethane 5 <2.2 ND ND ND1,1-Dichloroethane <1.4 ND ND ND 1,1-Dichloroethylene 7 <1.7 ND ND ND1,1-Dichloropropene <0.93 ND ND ND 1,2,3- 70 <0.78 ND ND NDTrichlorobenzene 1,2,3- <2.5 ND ND ND Trichloropropane 1,2,4- 70 <0.59ND ND ND Trichlorobenzene 1,2,4- 70 2.6 ND ND ND Trimethylbenzene1,2-Dibromo-3- 0.2 <5.9 ND ND ND Chloropropane 1,2-Dibromomethane <0.86ND ND ND 1,2-Dichlorobenzene 600 <1.1 ND ND ND 1,2-Dichloroethane 5 <1.8ND ND ND 1,2-Dichloropropane 5 <1.8 ND ND ND 1,3,5- <1.2 ND ND NDTrimethylbenzene 1,3-Dichlorobenzene 620 <1.1 ND ND ND1,3-Dichloropropane <0.66 ND ND ND 1,4- 75 <1.4 ND ND NDDichlorobenzene(p−) 2,2-Dichloropropane <1.4 ND ND ND 2-Butanone <2.6 NDND 2.7J 2-Chloroethyl Vinyl <1.2 ND ND ND Ether 2-Chlorotoluene <0.56 NDND ND 2-Hexanone <0.87 ND ND ND 4-Chlorotoluene <1.2 ND ND ND4-Isopropyltoluene <0.57 ND ND ND 4-Methyl-2-Pentanone <0.76 ND ND 86Acetone 60 76B 6.6J 230 Acrylonitrile <1.6 ND ND ND Benzene 5 <0.88 NDND .81J Bromobenzene <1.7 ND ND ND Bromochloromethane <1.7 ND ND NDBromodichloromethane 0.56 <1.1 ND ND ND Bromoform 4 <1.6 ND ND NDBromomethane <3.8 ND ND ND Carbon Disulfide <0.66 ND ND ND CarbonTetrachloride 5 <0.85 ND ND ND Chlorobenzene 100 <0.55 ND ND NDChloroethane <1.8 ND ND ND Chloroform 6 <1.3 ND ND ND Chloromethane <1.4ND ND ND cis-1,2- 70 <1.2 ND ND ND Dichloroethylene cis-1,2- <0.38 ND NDND Dichloropropene Dibromochloromethane 0.42 <1.6 ND ND ND Dibromomehane<1.1 ND ND ND Dichlorodifluoromethane <3.0 ND ND ND Ethyl Benzene 680<0.93 ND ND ND Hexachlorobutadiene 1 <2.1 ND ND ND Iodomethane <2.1 NDND ND Isopropylbenzene <0.40 ND ND ND m&p-Xylene 10,000 <0.76 ND ND NDMethylene Chloride 5 <5.8 ND ND ND Naphthalene <0.49 ND ND NDn-Butylbenzene <0.47 ND ND ND n-Propylbenzene <0.81 ND ND ND O-Xylene10,000 <1.4 ND ND 1.7J sec-Butylbenzene <0.46 ND ND ND Styrene 100 <0.82ND ND ND tert-Butyl Methyl Ether <0.61 ND ND ND tert-Butylbenzene <1.1ND ND ND Tetrachlroethylene 5 <0.58 ND ND ND Toluene 1,000 <1.3 ND ND1.8J trans-1,2- 100 <1.8 ND ND ND Dichloroethylene trans-1,2- 100 <0.99ND ND ND Dichloropropene trans-1,4-Dichloro-2 100 <3.1 ND ND ND ButenTrichloroethylene 5 <1.3 ND ND ND Trichlorofluromethane <1.7 ND ND NDTrichlorotrifluoroethane <1.9 ND ND ND Vinyl Acetate <1.1 ND ND ND VinylChloride 2 <1.6 ND ND ND Diesel Range Organics 230,000 8,100 GasolineRange 970 <100 Organics Metals/Inorganics Aluminum 5,000 <6.6 3,360 69449 Antimony 6 7.4 1.68 3.92 2.34 Arsenic 10 69 4.19 2.84 9.27 Barium2,000 172 592 298 651 Boron 750b 4,700 310 310 1,100 Beryllium 4 <0.90.172 <.05 0.0553 Cadmium 5 <1.2 <.1 <.1 0.598 Chloride 250,000a6,700,000 450,000 2,700,000 11,000,000 Chromium 100 8.52 9.66 1.33 4.54Copper 300 46.5 24.1 19.8 33.6 Cyanide 200 <4 Fluoride 4,000 36,000 Iron5,000 <4 420 270 1,700 Lead 15 24 14.4 10.2 13 Manganese 800 1,000 888362 1,250 Mercury 2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 Nickel 100 12.2 14.7 5.06 13.8Thallium 2 <0.34 Zinc 2,000 6,770 926 744 626

-   -   8,000,000 is acceptable.    -   MCL is the maximum allowable concentration.    -   Black space means the test was not conducted.    -   ND means there was no detectible amount of contaminate present.

As can be seen from the test data provided in Table 1 and the Analyticareports, the present filtration apparatus surprisingly removed a verylarge number of undesirable organic and inorganic contaminates. Theplastic filter sheet material utilized is not known by those skilled inthe art to remove these types of contaminates. The removal of thesecontaminates was completely unexpected. The waste water was sufficientlycleaned so that it could be discarded using the public waste watertreatment, which avoided the very high cost of hazardous materialtreatment.

Because the Frisco site was so successful, the CDOT installed 10 furtherlocations, of which 8 are currently online. The new locations used anapparatus as shown in FIGS. 4A–4G. The filtration size was:

-   -   #1 filter—5 mic    -   #2 filter—1 mic    -   #3 filter—0.5 mic    -   #4 filter—0.2 mic    -   #5 filter—0.2 mic        The #1 filter is the top most filter and the #5 filter is the        lowest. The filter material is a heat welded polyester sheet.        The CDOT sites used an Alaadin power washer model # T416, 3,000        psi, 4 gallon per minute, 220v, which is propane or natural gas        heated. The CDOT bays range in size to accommodate from 3 to 16        vehicles and equipment.

CDOT also recently tested the chloride concentration in five of thelocations using chloride strips and the results are shown in Table 2.8000 ppm of chloride is considered acceptable. However, the lower thechloride level the better.

TABLE 2 Date and Location Pre-Filter Post-Filter Boomfield Location Dec.22, 2004 NP Strip 4.8; 1,517 ppm Dec. 29, 2004 Strip 8.6; >6,211 ppmStrip 6.2; 2,766 ppm Derby Location Dec. 1, 2004 NP Strip 7.0; 3,870 ppmDec. 9, 2004 Strip 1.8; 308 ppm¹ Strip 0.8; <257 ppm Dec. 22, 2004 NPStrip 1.8; 308 ppm Dec. 29, 2004 NP Strip 3.3; 804 ppm Havana LocationNov. 23, 2004 Strip 7.8; 5,608 ppm Strip 1.6; 257 ppm Dec. 10, 2004Strip 8.2; >6,211 ppm Strip 8.0; 6,200 ppm Dec. 22, 2004 NP Strip 7.7;5,347 ppm Dec. 29, 2004 NP Strip 4.8; 1,571 ppm Knox Ct. Location Dec.29, 2004 NP Strip 4.8; 1,571 ppm Valley Hwy Dec. 12, 2004 NP Strip 1.8;308 ppm ¹The filtration system was cleaned out and filled with freshwater just before the test, which explains the low pre-filter chlorideconcentration. NP = Not Performed.

The test data demonstrates that the present filtration system is capableof cleaning up the CDOT water run-off to such a degree that it is nolonger considered hazardous material. The filtrated water can simply bediscarded using public waste treatment facilities saving the CDOT manythousands of dollars. Furthermore, the present filtration systems can berun as closed systems so that no waste water needs to be discarded.

While the claimed invention has been described in detail and withreference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications can bemade to the claimed invention without departing from the spirit andscope thereof.

1. A method of recycling wash solution from a power washer comprising;filtering wash solution through a first filter assembly having a firstfilter sheet under ambient pressure to form a first filtered washsolution and allowing the first filtered wash solution to flow into asecond filter assembly; filtering the first filtered wash solutionthrough the second filter assembly having a second filter sheet of 10micron or less filtration size under ambient pressure to form a recycledwash solution and allowing the recycled wash solution to drop a seconddistance into a recycled wash solution tank before contacting a surfaceof the recycled wash solution being contained in the recycled washsolution tank, the second distance being sufficient to aerate therecycled wash solution in the recycled wash solution tank; supplying therecycled wash solution to a power washer; washing an object with therecycled wash solution; collecting wash solution from the washing step;and supplying at least a portion of the collected wash solution to thefirst filter assembly for recycling.
 2. A method according to claim 1,further comprising the step of continuously monitoring the level of washsolution in the recycled wash solution tank and automatically addingwater as needed.
 3. A method according to claim 1, further comprisingtransferring recycled wash solution from the recycled wash solution tankto at least one of the first and second filter assemblies to removeprecipitates formed in the recycled wash solution tank.
 4. A methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising the step of removing oil fromthe wash solution prior to filtering through the first filter assembly.5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising using a 10 micronor less filtration size in the first and second filter sheets.
 6. Amethod according to claim 1, further comprising using filtration size ofabout 0.2 microns or less in the second filter assembly to remove heavymetals from solution.
 7. A method according to claim 1, furthercomprising cutting the first and second filter sheets having a width ofat least 1 foot and a length of at least 2 feet from one or more rollsof sheet material.
 8. A method according to claim 1, further comprisingdrying a used filter, combining the dried used filter with powdercoating materials, and firing the used filter and powder coatingmaterials in an oven to bind the heavy metals.
 9. A method according toclaim 8, wherein the powder coating materials are waste powder coatingmaterials collected from the floor following powder coating an object.10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising filtering thefirst filtered wash solution through at least one other filter assemblybefore supplying the filtered wash solution to the second filterassembly.
 11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the power washer isa car washer, a steam washer, or a laundry machine.
 12. A methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising screening the collected washsolution to remove particles prior to supplying the collected washsolution to the first filter assembly.
 13. A method according to claim1, wherein any pumps used to move the solution are air pressure driven.14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the filtered wash solutioncomprises wash chemicals and the filtered wash solution is supplied tothe water inlet of the power washer.
 15. A method according to claim 1,wherein the filtered wash solution comprises water run-off fromvehicles.
 16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first andsecond filter assemblies are constructed and arranged such that duringoperation the wash solution filters through the first filter assembly toform the first filtered wash solution and drops into the second filterassembly a first distance before contacting first filtered wash solutionin the second filter assembly to provide aeration.